Cities forced to pay PERS more

11:57 PM,
Nov. 28, 2012

Written by

Brian Eason
beason@jackson.gannett.com

The latest mandated increase in contributions to the Public Employees' Retirement System will leave cash-strapped Mississippi cities and counties forking over close to 50 percent more than they were just 10 years earlier.

Some cities, including Jackson, have responded to previous increases by implementing hiring freezes, while others in the metro area have cut miscellaneous expenses to bridge the gap. But while the economy appears to be on an upward trajectory, these costs and others like it will continue to swallow many of the corresponding revenue gains if the recovery remains slow.